Hinge for doors



p 6 933- T. o. SCHRADER 1,928,394

HINGE FOR DOORS Filed March 14, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Sept. 26, 1933 i Q cums sures PATENT DF-FIC E HINGE DOORS 0. Schrader; Allentown, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to C. V. Hill & 00., Inc., Trenton, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 14, 1933; Serial 'No. 660,742 "7 Claims. (01. 16-80).

This invention relates to hinges for doors, and projection 6 provided with eyes or knuckles '7 particularly tohinges. of that type; designed for through which eyes, or knuckles and the eyes or use in connection with refrigerator doors and knuckles of the hinge member 3 passes a'pintle other like closures; wherein spring controlled tog- 8, whereby the hinge members-are pivotally cou I gle lever mechanism is, employed in conjunction pled. v

with the hinge for swinging the door closed and Associated with the hinge members are toggle maintaining it in open position when swung open links or levers 9 and 10, which extend longitudito a certain degree. nally of the hinge structure'and are pivotally cou- More particularly the invention relates to 'impled at their inner ends, as shown at 11. The

'10 provenients upon the hinge structure shown in opposite or outer end of the link or lever 9 is 5 United States Patent No. 1,627,329, granted to provided with an eye or knuckle 12 pivotally con- Clement V. Hill; of Trenton, New Jersey, May 3, Iiected by means of a pintle 13 with eyes or 1927, and the object of the present invention is v knuckles 14 on the hinge ineriiber' i, while be to provide a simplified construction of hinge emyond its pivoted end the in'ajor portion as well ill bodying anovel and improved construction and as the outer end of the link or lever is bifiirarrangement of the door spring and its housing cated or forked, and the arms 15 of thisbifure and means for tensioning the spring, and also a cated or iorked portion are provided with bifurnovel structure wherebya plurality of springs in Gated or forked extremities 16 which straddle and compact form may be used. in placed! a single are pivotally connected w'iththe knuckles 5 or, spring when desired. 7 I the: hinge member 3 by pintles17. This pivotal With the abo'veand other objects in view, the connection 1'7 01 thelever 10 with the hinge meminvention consists of the 'features of construcher 3 s; a a g d iiiwardly a Well a i r a o combination and arrangement of parts, the pivotal connection 8', tor-a purpose hereinhereinafter. fully described and claimed; referafter" described. 5 ence being ;had to the accompanying drawings, L'The pivotal connection 11 between the toggle 30 in.which:. V V 1 links orl'ev'ers 9' and 10' is of novel construction Fig. 1 is a horizontal'tran'svers'e section through and provides a housing for a door closing spring or one side of a door and its hinging jamb, showing 's'prings,'a's weir as a pivotal connection between the application of the invention, and alsoshqwthe levers, and it als pr vid a means whereby ing in dotted lines, two openpositions of the door, the closing spring'or springs may be te'nsioned I one anextemal openposition such as is permitted to; exert the proper degree of closing pressure on by the hinge construction. I r V f thelevers. As shown, the inner end of the link Fig. 2 is a view in. front elevation of the parts or lever 9 is bifurcated or forked=to provide spaced shown in Fig. 1. V v knuckles 18; and the inner end of the link or Fi 3 is a vertical. transverse sectionon the lever 10" is provided' with an eye or knuckle 19 9Q line 3-3 of Fig. 2. l v whichfits bet'weenthe knuckles l8. 'Theknuckle 4-1is -a horizontal transverse section on line I9 is of expanded size, or enlarged relatively to H of Fig.3. V the knuckles 18, to provide an enclosing casing Figs. 5, 6 and '7. are views corresponding toFigs. having a coiled'door closing spring 20 which'fits 2, 3 and4, show'i armodifiedl form of construcsnugly therein. Thekniickle or casing 19is pro 25 tion, Y v videdwith a closed side 21, having an opening Renaming-now more particularly'to the draw- 22 therein to register with the openings in" the ings, andr-espeeiallyFigs. Lto 4;,inclusive, 1 desigeyes-on knuckles" 18, while the opposite side of nates the hingingijamb ofthe doorway ofarefrig' the knuckle or casing '19 is'full'y opentq admit or eratoronother enclosing structure, and" 2" the theinselrtibnand rernovarof thes'prin'g and is 199 v door for closingsaidvdoorway. I suitably recessed to receive a plat'e 23 which closes The hinge embodyingniy invention comprises such' side ofthe casing-whenthe part'sare ripa relatively stationary hinge member} and a erably'coupledtogether; whereby the spring is swinginghinge member 4.. 'I' hese membei-s are concealed f'r'oiri' vie'w and'prote'c'ted from'injuryf 0 adapted to becsuitablysecured to the jamblvand This closure'platei23' isprovided with an eye or 1 tothedoor-2,respectively. As shown, ,theimember opening-'24, and"th'ro'ugh the openings 22 and 24 Scamprises arectangular or.oblong.' rectangular passes a 'pintle pin'or bolt 2 5which also passes plate having' a pairioftspaced'iears'or knuckles 5; throughthe*eyes--0i1"knuckles18 and completes whileithe-member 4-is in the form of an elongated theconstiuct'ioh ot the'pivo'talconnection betweenf plate havingatits uter enda neck portion or thelirilr orleverfnieihbers'e and 102 I which slot opens at one end through the open side ofsaid casing, while the other terminal of the spring is provided with a similar flange or angularly bent'portion 28 which engages a slot or keyway 29 formed in the pintle or bolt 25, whereby the outer and inner extremities of the spring are respectively coupled to the casing 19 and the pintle 25. r

This mode of mounting the spring adapts the spring to be tensioned to the proper degree for service action by rotary adjustment of the pintle or bolt 25, which is provided with an angular end portion 30 for the reception of a wrench or other suitable tool, adapting such adjustment to be. readily and conveniently effected. Upon'this end of the bolt is fitted a ratchet collar or sleeve 31 having an angular bore corresponding to the angular end of the pintle to hold it from rotation thereon. This ratchet collar or sleeve is detachably secured to the angular end of the bolt normaliyagainst longitudinal sliding movement and displacement by means of a clamping screw or other suitable fastening 32, and the ratchet teeth of said sleeve are adapted for locking engagement with ratchet teeth 33 formed upon the adjacent knuckle 18, so thatafter the pintle has been adjustedto tension the spring to the desired degree 'the pintle maybe interlocked with the inner end of the lever.

' tion. Bythis means ready and convenient adconnection between or levers 9 and 10, which parts may be readily 23 in position and the justment of the spring to regulate its tension to any degree required may be made by means employed to form component parts of the pivotal the inner ends of the links andconveniently coupledand uncoupled in assembling or disassembling the hinge elements, so that such operations maybe quickly and simply performed, with a minimum amount of time and labor, and provision made for the substitution of a new spring for an old spring or of a new pintle pin for an old one or of any other substitution for a worn or broken part to maintain the hinge always in the best serviceable condition. The end of the bolt opposite its angular end is threaded to receive a retaining nut 34 secured in position thereon by a set screw or other fastening 35, by means of which it is held against casual loosening or displacement. The nut holds the closure plate pintle from longitudinal displacement, and, upon the removal of this nut, the pintle may be disengaged from the links and spring to effect an uncoupling action thereof. The described construction of the knuckle 19 not only provides a casing or housing forthe closing spring and a hinging knuckle, whereby the spring is concealed and protected from injury, but may also form a 1reservoir I for holding a suitable amount of lubricant to ensure easy motion of the coils of the spring and the parts of the pivotal connection on each other. 4 r

It will be-understood, of course, that in practice any suitable number .of hinges embodying my invention may be employed for the'proper mounting of the door 2 upon the jamb 1, and that the strength of the spring or springs of the hinges employed may be such, in proportion to the size and weight-of the door 2, as to swing thedoor to'a fully closed position in the operation of the hinges for a door closing action. By reference to Fig. 1, showing one of the hinges, it will be 10 by the ratchet connecpivotal points of the outer ends of the links or levers is shortened, whereupon the toggle action will be broken and the links bowed and their jointed ends moved outward relative to the face of the door, whereby the pintle 25 will be operated to'wind up and place the spring 20 under tension. When the door reaches an open position substantially at right angles to the face of the door frame, as indicated by the dotted position a, the spring will be properly tensioned for a door closing action,.but the movement of the link 10 to a position in rear' of the pivot8, that is, to a position beyond center, will cause the action of the spring to be nullified and a locking connection between toggle levers to be effected, whereby the door will be held while in such position from a closing action, A slight inward movement of the door beyond this position will, however, bring the link member 10 to a position in which it is no longer beyond'center, whereupon the door will be free to close under the action of the closing spring. It

the' hinge members and the '1 will be'observed that by reason of the forked construction of the link 10 and its mode of connection with the hinge member 3, said link member is free to swing from side to side, forwardly and rearwardly'of the hinge member 3, without interference therefrom or from the door or door jamb, as a result of which the door may be opened to a still further degree, as indicated by the dotted line position a, which will be desirable and advantageous under many conditions. The hinge structure described thus permits of a very wide range of opening movement of the door, thereby overcoming the objections to prior structures in which the construction and arrangement of parts is suchas to cause interference and to prevent the door fromhaving an opening movement beyond an angle of 90.

In Figs. 5, 6 and '7 of the drawings I have shown a modification of my invention in which the forked or bifurcatedinner end 18 of the link or lever 9 is made wide enough to receive a casing knuckle 19 ing knuckle 19' and the pivot pintle or bolt 25 are of sufiiciently increased size or dimensions to receive a second spring 20' arranged alongside the spring 20 and coacting therewith for a door closing action. This construction'allows spring combinations of different spring strengths to be employed with advantage, and also enables two relatively weak springs to be used in place of a single strong spring, when desired, and according" to manifold service requirements.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the construction and mode of operation of ,my improved hinge and spring closure will be readily understood and it will be seen that the invention provides a device of this character which is simple, strong and durable in construction, and which is composed of a minimum number of parts compactly arranged so as to lie close to the door and door jamb, and in which the door closing spring or springs will be concealed and protected from injury or clogon the lever member 10, which casiis iio

ging by dirt, dust or other foreign materials. 7 Also it will be seen that novel means are provided for regulating the tension of the spring or springs as desired. Furthermore, it will be seen that the construction is such as to avoid the use of any interfering parts which will prevent a full opening movement of the door, the construction and arrangement of the hinge member 3 and forked lever 10 and showing a range of movement which will permit the door to be swung open to an extra degree. The construction still further provides for the ready and convenient insertion and removal of the spring or springs, and release of the door from spring tension whenever desired.

In the drawings hereto annexed I have illus-. trated my invention as applied to an oifset hinge, but it will be understood that my invention is equally efiicient for use in a flush hinge. 7

By my invention it is possible. to open the refrigerator door fully wide without imposing strains upon the hinge and its parts and without liability of breaking the same.

What I claim is:

1. In a door hinge and closer, a stationary hinge member adapted to be secured to the door jamb, a swinging hinge member pivoted to the firstnamed hinge member andadapted to be secured to the door, a pair of toggle levers pivotally con nected at their inner ends to each other and at their outer ends to the hinge members respectively, and a closing spring acting upon said levers and enclosed by a component part of the firstnamed pivotal connection.

2. In a door hinge and closer, a stationary hinge member adapted to be secured to the door jamb, a swinging hinge member pivoted to the firstnamed hinge member and adapted'to be secured to the door, a pair of toggle levers pivotally connected at their inner ends to each other and at their outer ends to the'hinge members respectively, the said pivotal connection between the inner ends of the levers comprising coacting knuckles and a pintle pin uniting the same, and a coiled closing spring having its ends operatively connected respectively to the knuckle parts of said levers. v v

3. In a door hinge and closer, a stationary hinge member adapted to be securedto the door jamb, a swinging hinge member pivoted to the first-named hinge member and adapted to be secured to the door, a .pair of toggle levers pivotally connected at their inner ends to each other and at their outer ends to the hinge members respectively, and a coiled closing spring operatively coupled to the pivotally coupledinner ends of the levers and enclosed by an element of the pivotal connection. 7

4. In a door hinge and closer, a stationary hinge member'adapted to be secured to the door jamb, a swinging hinge member pivoted to the first-named hinge member and adapted to be secured to the door, a pair of toggle levers pivotally connected at their inner ends to each other and at their outer ends to the hinge member respectively, the said pivotal connection between the inner ends of the levers including a spring casing member, and a coiled closing spring enclosed in said closing member and operatively connected to the said lever ends.

5. In a door hinge and closer, a pair of pivotally connected hinge members, a pair of links pivotally coupled at their inner ends to each other, one of said links being pivotally connected at its outer end to one of the hinge members, and

the other of said links having a forked end straddling the other hinge member and pivoted thereto inwardly of and rearwardly beyond the pivotal connection between the hinge members, said pivotal connection between the inner ends of the link members including a spring casing, and spring closing means for coaction with the links enclosed in said casing.

-6. In a door hinge, a stationary hinge member adapted to be secured to a door jamb, a movable hinge member adapted to be secured to a door and pivoted at one end to the stationary hinge member, and a pair of spring-controlled toggle lever members pivoted at its outer end tothe movable hinge member and the other of said toggle lever members having a bifurcated or forked outer end straddling the stationary hinge member and pivoted thereto inwardly and in rear of the pivotal connection between the hinge members, said pivotal connection between the inner ends of the link members including a spring casing, and spring closing means for coaction with the links enclosed in said casing.

'7. In a door hinge, a stationary hinge member adapted to be secured to a door jamb, a movable hinge member adapted to be secured to a. door and pivoted at one end to the stationary hinge member, a pair of toggle lever members pivoted at their inner ends to each other, one of said toggle lever members being pivoted at its outer end to the movable hinge member and the other of said toggle lever members having a bifurcated or forked outer'end straddling the stationary hinge member and pivoted thereto inwardly and in rear of the pivotal connection between the hinge members, and a controlling spring coupled to the jointed ends of the toggle lever members and opposing resistance to the outward movement of said members, the jointed end of one of the lever members being formed to provide a casing enclosing said spring.

THOMAS O. SCHRADERL 

